No Question About That - a Manchester United podcast

#985 | Ed, Daniel, and Dharnish react to United’s 2–1 loss at Newcastle, focusing on a flat, low-energy second half and a missed chance to beat 10 men while the Champions League race remains tight. Carrick’s honeymoon has faded as recent performances show recurring issues: opponents pressing man-to-man to block central progression, limited ball progression without Lisandro Martínez, and little attacking width due to problems at fullback. Newcastle’s 3v3 midfield control and second-half 4-3-2 shape forced United into low-probability strategies and long balls. What could Carrick have done better - in shape, tactics, and substitutions? Then, there’s Villa up next and Unai Emery’s very specific brand of football.

00:00 Intro and Initial Reactions

03:30 Newcastle's Tactical Dominance

09:17 United's Attacking Problems

11:05 Squad Balance & Player Roles

17:34 Carrick's Future

18:54 Preview: Aston Villa

26:49 Wrap-Up

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#984 | Ed and Dominic react to United’s 2–1 defeat at Newcastle - the first loss of the Michael Carrick era. It was a particularly flat, listless performance despite Newcastle going down to 10 men. Bruno Fernandes created eight chances but for the most part the rest of the team let their captain and manager down. Why were United so flat and why couldn't the team control the game despite having a man extra? There were moments of refereeing controversy, but in the end United's lack of physicality and squad depth showed against the Magpies once again.

00:00 Introduction

01:37 Why United Looked Flat

05:50 Red Card And Major Calls

08:30 Full Back and Midfield Struggles

13:28 Summer Midfield Rebuild

20:46 Transfer Strategy Concerns

23:04 What Happened To Ugarte

27:08 Control vs Chaos

35:17 Squad Balance Blueprint

40:00 Standards and Context

44:42 Sign Off
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#983 | Ed and Dharnish review United’s win over Crystal Palace, focusing on a poor, flat first-half marked by weak progression from the back, Palace’s press clogging central areas around Casemiro/Mainoo/Bruno. There’s a discussion about United’s left-sided imbalance amid injuries to Shaw, Martínez, and Dorgu.

There was improved intensity after halftime and some decisive Bruno Fernandes passing that led to a penalty and red card, shifting control and eventually a winner. 

United leaned on crossing and set-piece threat, including the winning goal from Benjamin Šeško, whose finishing and overall output since Carrick’s arrival are the story of the past seven games. There’s a chat about midfield transition risks, Palace’s pattern of dropping strikers into midfield, and a brief touch on what rivals for the Champions League places are doing. The episode wraps with a tactical preview of Newcastle on Wednesday.

00:00 Introduction

02:07 First Half Analysis

09:00 Cunha's Role and Width Issues

11:01 Second Half Turnaround

14:00 Sesko and United's Attack

21:07 Champions League Race

23:02 Newcastle Preview

28:00 Wrap

If you are interested in supporting the show and accessing a weekly exclusive bonus episode, check out our Patreon page or subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Supporter funded episodes are ad-free.

NQAT is available on all podcast apps and in video on YouTube. Hit that subscribe button, leave a rating and write a review on Apple or Spotify.
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#982 | Ed and Daniel review United’s 2–1 win over Crystal Palace. Victory marked by slow buildup and low urgency, helped by a penalty and a red card, but ultimately Michael Carrick’s adjustments brought improved control and sustained pressure. There are still issues in buildup, at fullback and Palace were able to get behind United’s midfield. And yet United were good enough to see it out and move third in the Premier League table. It’s another goal and assist for Bruno - and one more for in-form Benjamin Šeško’s as well.  Then we move on to Newcastle away on Wednesday night.

00:00 Introduction

01:48 First Half Performance Issues

06:17 Tactical Changes and Second Half

14:11 Penalty and Red Card 

16:40 Goals

27:17 Player Performances

36:49 Newcastle Preview

If you are interested in supporting the show and accessing a weekly exclusive bonus episode, check out our Patreon page or subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Supporter funded episodes are ad-free.

NQAT is available on all podcast apps and in video on YouTube. Hit that subscribe button, leave a rating and write a review on Apple or Spotify
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#981 | Ed and Wayne record a Friday-night pod focused on Manchester United’s finances and Sunday’s match against Crystal Palace. The financial results held few surprises aside from the scale and persistence of United’s debt. The long-term “millstone” that just won’t go away. Football fans want to watch football not become finance experts, but here we are anyway. Two years after Ratcliffe’s takeover is his strategy working … and at what cost? 

Then we shift gear to focus on Sunday’s game against a fatigued, depleted Palace. Will Michael Carrick tweak things with a midweek game to follow. The big taking point - will in-form Benjamin Šeško start?

00:00 Introduction

01:19 Financial Results Discussion

14:52 Ratcliffe Ownership Strategy

21:05 Crystal Palace Preview

27:10 Glasner's Situation at Palace

32:41 Carrick's Tactical Approach

39:11 Match Preview

If you are interested in supporting the show and accessing a weekly exclusive bonus episode, check out our Patreon page or subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Supporter funded episodes are ad-free.

NQAT is available on all podcast apps and in video on YouTube. Hit that subscribe button, leave a rating and write a review on Apple or Spotify.
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